Control device for power-operated members



June 13, 1950 f H. w. TREvAsKls CONTROL DEVICE EoR POWER oPEEATED MEMBERS Filed Aug. 5l, 1948 afl////// u @mwen www um um #M7 E E Patented June 13,` 1950 CONTROL DEVICE FOR POWER-OPERATED MEMBERS Henry William Trevasks, Solihull, England, as-

signor to Dunlop Rubber Company Limited,

London, England, a British company Application August 31, 1948, Serial No. 47,096 In Great Britain September 9, 1947 6 Claims.

This invention is concerned with improvements in control devices for power operated members, particularly wing aps and other aircraft control members.

2 A rotatable shaft 'I is mounted in ball bearings adjacent its one end in the rotatable plate 2 and co-axial therewith, said end projecting beyond the plate and being rigidly attached to a selector It is an object of the present invention to pro- 5 arm 8 and to a pointer 9 adapted to move over vide an improved control device by means of a. scale on a circular portion of the follow-up which a wing flap or other power operated memarm. The shaft extends into the housing and at ber may be caused to move automatically from its end remote from the selector arm is supported one position to another predetermined position in ball bearings located in the housing.

Within the limits imposed by the stroke of the l Inwards of the rotatable plate the shaft is jack or other actuating device employed. formed with three axially directed grooves I 0 According to the present invention a control equidistantly spaced around the periphery of the device for controlling the degree of movement of shaft. A set of balls II is housed within each a power operated device associated with a fluid groove and engage in similar grooves I2 in the pressure actuating device comprises a housing l5 interior of a cylindrical member I3 surrounding a rotatable control member Within the said housthe shaft, whereby the shaft and member are ing rotatable under the control of the operator, precluded from relative rotation but the member means operable by the said rotatable control is capable of limited axial movement with remember for controlling fluid pressure to and spect to the shaft. from the actuating device, a rotatable follow-up The outer face of the cylindrical member is member co-axial with the said rotatable control formed with two circumferential grooves, one member operable by the movement of the said functioning as a selector groove I4 and the other power operated device and means associated with as an operating groove I5. The selector groove the said rotatable follow-up member for autois adjacent the rotatable plate and comprises two matically reversing the movement of the said portions which are axially offset with respect to control means for the uid pressure when the each other and which are joined by axially insaid power-operated device has moved the declined portions. It forms a track in which is sired amount. located the roller E referred to above, and since The invention is particularly concerned with the axial position of the roller is fixed, relative the provisions of a device suitable for controlrotation of the roller and the cylindrical member ling the degree and direction of movement of a I3 causes axial displacement of said member as member operated by a jack actuated by air presthe roller passes along either of the inclined porsure and will be more particularly described with tions of the track. reference to one embodiment suitable for con- The operating groove I5, which is at the end trolling the degree of movement of the wing flaps of the cylindrical member remote from the roof an aircraft. tatable plate, is a plain groove and forms a track In order that the invention may be more fully for an operating roller I6 which is rotatably described, reference is made to the attached mounted on an arm I'I projecting at right angles drawing, which is a sectional elevation of said from an operating rod I8, slidable axially within embodiment. 40 the housing, the axis of rotation of the roller be- The control device comprises a housing I proing thus disposed radially of the axis of revoluvided on its exterior with an inlet nozzle adapted tion of the plate. to be connected to a source oi fluid pressure, two The end of the rod remote from the roller is fluid pressure nozzles adapted to be connected to pivotally connected to one end of a rocking lever opposite ends of a double acting jack for oper- I9 rockable about a pin 20 extending diametriating in wing-flap, and an exhaust nozzle through cally of the housing. To each arm of the lever, which the used iiuid passes when returned to the at equal distances from the pin, is pivotally condevice from the jack; nected an exhaust plunger 2| forming part of a One end of the body is closed by a rotatable combined inlet and exhaust valve unit, of which plate 2 carried in ball bearings, to the ouside of 50 there are two, one on each side of the rotatable which is rigidly attached a follow-up arm 3 and a pointer 4 movable over a scale on the body. A bracket 5 is secured to the interior of the plate and carries a selector roller 6, the axis of which is disposed radially of the axis of revolution of the plate.

shaft.

Each of the above valve units, which are identical in construction, comrises a body portion 22, divided in an axial direction into an inlet chamber 23 at the end adjacent the cylindrical member, a central operating chamber 24 and an exhaust chamber 25 at the opposite end. The inlet chambers and exhaust chambers of the two valves communicate respectively with the inlet and exhaust nozzles previously referred to, while each operating chamber communicates with one of the fluid pressure nozzles which lead to the operating cylinder of the wing jack.

The inlet chamber of each valve is separated from the adjacent operating chamber by a transverse wall 26 containing a central orice for the passage of an operating rod 2l and provided with a seating 2S for an inlet valve 2s carried on the rod, said valve being urged against the seating by a compression spring 3Q surrounding the end of the rod and located at one end in a cavity 3l in the end of the chamber and at the other end against an annular shoulder 32 formed on the face oi the inlet valve remote from its seating.

Projecting into the operating chamber and spaced from the axially extending wall thereof is a sleeve-like extension oi the wall 2d separating the inlet and operating chambers, said extension being provided with a number or oriices whereby free communications between its interior and exterior is established. lThe extension forms a guide for a piston like member axially slidable therein provided with a piston mechanically connected to the inlet valve operating rod and an exhaust valve seating 3'? on the face remote from said rod.

Seated on said seating' is the end of the exhaust ger which passes through rluid tight oriin the wall 3E separating the operating and eahaust chambers and in the opposite wall 3Q oi the exhaust chamcer and is pivotally connected to one arm of the rocking lever is, as hereinbefore described. The plunger contains a central hole exten ing axially from the end which contacts with the exhaust valve seating to the centre of the exhaust chamber, where it merges into radial bolos whereby the exhaust and o; eretng charnb s arn ed in communication the plunger is with vn from its seating. der that the exhaust piurger may move tuated by the roclring lever while mtight seal, lubricating rings are loc in annular 'qces the transverse wall of ber, through which the plunger or the device will now be denacting jack, in which case the selector to the piiots selector in the g A follow-up arm 3 to a flap lever or other suitable point so that its motion correspnds with that of the flap.

uup arms are such that the selector roller 6 .dwg y between the @nos oi one of the inclined portions of its groove lil, the cylinder i3 will be at the siticn oi its range of axial movement and the operating roller l and rod, iS in such an position that the exhaust 2i and inlet valves .l of both valve units are closed. The pis oi the jack will then be stationary and the wing nap held in a predetermined position.

If it is desired to alter this position the selector arm 8 is rotated, the direction and degree of rotation being selected in accordance with the required direction and degree of movement of the flap. Rotation of the arm causes rotation of the cylinder i3 and as a result of the interaction between the selector roller 6 and the inclined portion of the groove l in which it is located an axial movement is imparted to the cylinder, which through the operating roller I 6 and rod I8 opens the inlet valve 29 of one valve unit and the exhaust valve El of the other unit.v rIhe jack is thus operated to move the wing ap.

As the flap moves, however, this movement is communicated through the follow-up lever 3 to the selector roller 5, which moves in its groove is without causing movement of the cylinder I3 until it enters one of the inclined portions. As it travels along this portion, however, it causes axial movement of the cylinder, since its location in an axial direction is xed .by the bracket 5 to which it is attached. This movement of the cylinder i3 is communicated through the operating roller it and rod i8 to the valves, which gradually close until, when the selector roller 6 reaches the midway position in the inclined portion, both valves shut completely and the jack and nap remain stationary in their new position.

rThough for the sake of clarity the above apparatus has been described with the arm 8 attached to the shaft i connected to the pilots selector and the 3 attached to the rotatable plate 2 to the it will be evident that the connections can, if desired, be reversed, since the operation of the device depends on the relative rotation oi the and the plate, and not on the order in which they move.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A duid control device which comprises a rotatable transmission member slidable on its axis of rotation and having a cylindrical cam sur.. face, a pair of actuating members rotatable relatively to each other on the axis of said transmission member, one of said actuating members slidably engaging said transmission member and the other actuating member engaging said cani surface to slide said transmission member axiall upon rotation relative to said transmission merrber and said other actuating member, a pivoted lever connected to said transmission member to tilt in opposite directions upon the sliding of said transmission member in one direction or the reverse and a pair of valve units having valves connected to said lever on opposite sides'oi its pivot to move in opposite directions on the tilting of said lever.

2. The nuid control device of claim l in which each said valve unit comprises an inlet chamber, an operating chamber, an exhaust chamber, said operating chamber having an inlet port from said inlet chamber, a spring pressed inlet valve in said inlet chamber to close against said inlet port, an exhaust valve in said operating chamber connected to inlet chamber and an exhaust plunger connected to said lever and extending through said exhaust chamber into operating chamber and having an exhaust passage from said operating chamber to said exhaust chamber, said plunger being slidable to close said exhaust passage against said exhaust valve and to displace said inlet valve from said inlet port.

3,. The iiuid control device of claim l in which one of said actuatl g membe Y ises a rod extending axially within said transmission member, said operating member and said transmission member having opposed longitudinally extending grooves and balls between grooves to hold said transmission member actuating member in slidable engagement.

4. The fluid control device oi claim 1 in-which said transmission element is a hollow cylinder, in which one actuating member comprises a shaft extending co-axially in and slidably keyed to Said transmission member and in which the other actuating member comprises a plate rotatable on said rst actuating member and having an extension to engage the cam surface of said transmission member.

5. A fluid control device which comprises a pivoted lever, having arms on opposite sides of said pivot, means to tilt said lever, a pair of valve units, each unit comprising an operating chamber having an inlet port, an inlet valve outside said operating chamber spring pressed to close said inlet port, an exhaust valve in said operating chamber, and an exhaust plunger connected to one arm of Said lever and extending into said operating chamber and having an exhaust passage from said operating chamber, said plunger being positioned to slide upon movement of said lever in one direction to close said passage against said exhaust valve and to displace said inlet valve 20 2,433,317

from said inlet port.

6. The iiuid control device of claim 5 in which said means to tilt said lever comprises a rotatable and slidable transmission member having a surface inclined to the direction of sliding, a connector slidable with said transmission member and connected to said lever to tilt said lever as said transmission member slides, an actuating member slidably keyed to said transmission member and rotatable therewith, and a second actuating member rotatable relatively to said transmission member and said first actuating member and engaging said inclined surface.

HENRY WILLIAM TREVASKIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,159,142 Fisher May 23, 1939 Gabriel Mar. 23, 1948 2,462,915 Spielman Mar. 1, 1949 

